Study Results: Nearly Half of Transgender Population Has Attempted Suicide

The results from the largest survey of transgender people in history were released today, and the findings are staggering. Last year, the National Center for Transgender Equality, or NCTE, conducted a massive online survey of transgender people which asked a series of questions about life experiences with employment, education, healthcare, and homelessness. Results were expected last April but have arrived almost a year later due to the unexpected number of respondents—27,000, and over four times the amount of the last national transgender survey, administered in 2008.

Among the most shocking findings was the rate at which transgender people attempt suicide. 40% percent of transgender people have tried to end their own life, which is about nine times the rate of the general population. Nearly 1 in 10 transgender people attempted suicide in 2015, which is about 12 times the rate of the general population.

While it was already known that transgender people experience disproportionate hardship, the NCTE and its researchers were astounded by results in the areas of income and employment (15% of transgender people are unemployed, which is three times that of the general population), housing and homelessness (one third of respondents have experienced homelessness in their lifetime, and they are 4 times less likely to own a home) and violence (1 in 4 transgender respondents were physically assaulted as children while at school). As researchers stated in the summary of results, “The rates of suicide attempts, poverty, unemployment, and violence must serve as an immediate call to action, and their reduction must be a priority.”